By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

Hays Larks manager Frank Leo talked with Eastern Kentucky baseball coach John Corbin about one of EKU's pitchers, a freshman right-hander named Patrick Cooper. Cooper had posted a 1-6 record and 7.93 earned-run average for the Colonels during the spring.

Corbin, a former Lark who pitched for Leo, told the Larks manager that Cooper's statistics were deceiving. Leo picked up Cooper for the Larks this summer.

"I trust John's opinion that he is going to send me a good kid," Leo said. "Don't go by stats. If you can trust the coach that you are dealing with, stats can mislead you sometimes. If you trust the coaches' evaluation of the kid, that says a lot more. I was expecting him to be a good pitcher here."

Cooper proved Corbin, now the assistant coach at Bradley University, correct. He became the ace for the Larks, 35-17 overall and Jayhawk League champions for the sixth time in eight years. He developed into one of the best summer-collegiate pitchers in the country and was among several Larks that earned prestigious postseason honors.

Cooper, 8-3 with a 2.75 ERA, earned Baseball America's pick as the top pro prospect in the Jayhawk League and was one of four Larks to earn first-team Jayhawk League honors.

Four other Larks checked in on Baseball America's top 10 prospects in the Jayhawk League. Right-handed reliever Steven Mazur was the No. 5 player on BA's list and also earned Jayhawk League pitcher of the year award. Second baseman Rich Michalek, a three-year Lark, was sixth on Baseball America's prospect list and was picked at the Jayhawk League's player of the year.

Catcher Eric Roof, the only Lark selected in June's Major League Baseball draft, was No. 7 on Baseball America's list and earned second-team Jayhawk honors after he batted .301 with five homers and 34 RBIs.

Right-handed pitcher Chase Johnson was the No. 8 pick after he posted a 2.94 ERA and 13.63 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, good for sixth all-time in Larks' history. During the summer, Roof said Johnson was "definitely the best pitcher that I have caught this year," spring included.

"Fastball, slider and changeup, they are all plus-pitches," Roof said of Johnson. "When he takes the mound, you know that it is pretty much lights out, game's over."

Closer/utilityman Kevin Hennessey also earned first-team honors after he posted a team-high 40 RBIs and five saves, while speedy center fielder Brandon Eckerle (Larks-high 24 steals) and No. 2 starter Casey Hauptman (5-2, 2.92 ERA) were both second team all-Jayhawk League picks.

Cooper, though, led the staff all season as the team's ace.

After the rough spring, statistically, Cooper dominated for the Larks.

He pitched a team-high 75 1/3 innings, nine more than anyone had thrown in the last three years, and his eight wins tied for the seventh-most all-time and second highest since 1991. Cooper, who used a 90-93 mile per hour moving fastball and a breaking slider, never allowed a home run. He was one of nine Larks pitchers to throw more than 13 innings and the only one that didn't permit a homer.

"He had velocity with movement and that is a big thing," Leo said. "Some guys are 90-91 and if it's straight, it can be very hittable, but he had that movement and it made him awful tough and he had the breaking pitch to go with it."

Cooper, who transferred to Des Moines (Ia.) Community College, retired 27 straight batters against El Dorado on June 29 and pitched a one-hit shutout against San Diego in the first round of the World Series. In the postseason, Cooper went 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 12 innings as Hays went 4-2 and finished in a tie for seventh.

During the series, one American League scout called Cooper and Larks teammate Tyler Sturdevant two of the top players he saw at the NBC. Others agreed.

"He has a good frame at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, and throws 92-93 miles per hour with a good slider and a decent changeup," Baseball America wrote on Cooper. "The ace of Hays' staff, Cooper ... (built) a reputation as the premier arm in the league."

Mazur, a second-year Lark, also saw great improvement. In 2007, he posted a 5.06 ERA and saw little time in the postseason. He went back to Notre Dame in the fall and honed his slider.

"I think the biggest thing was confidence for Steven, just the development of his slider between his freshman and his sophomore year and he pitches with a lot more confidence," Notre Dame coach Dave Schrage said.

Mazur became the Fighting Irish's setup man, delivered a strong year and headed back to Hays. He didn't throw as hard as Cooper, sitting around 88-89 miles per hour, but Mazur was tenacious on the mound.

He posted a 5-0 record and 0.99 ERA, tied for fifth all-time. He also led Hays with 69 strikeouts, rare for a reliever, and struck out 13.7 batters per nine innings, fifth-best in history.

"He should be pitcher of the year," teammate Andrew Heck said after the final game.

Mazur earned the honor and became the first Larks' pitcher to earn the award since Sam Elam was named pitcher of the year and earned the NBC top prospect honor in 2006.

Mazur helped Hays strike out 439 batters, 18 off the team record set in 2001.

In 2007, Michalek earned first team all-Jayhawk League honors after he batted .318 and stole 36 bases, tied for third-most in history. This summer, Michalek had to reinvent his game after he hurt his ankle and couldn't run at full speed.

"Sometimes I could see his face grimace when he tried to explode to try to take off out of the box or an extra base," Leo said. "He is just one of those guys you love having in the summertime. He is going to fight through things. It is a tough enough league and schedule as it is. He is just a tough kid. He wants to be in the lineup, he doesn't want to be on the bench."

Michalek, a Slippery Rock (Pa.) University product, didn't want to sit, though. He wore an ankle brace nearly all season and led the team in starts (49), ranked second in at-bats (172), batting average (.355) and was third in homers (four) and RBIs (35). He stole just 11 bases but boosted his slugging percentage 102 points.

It marked the first player of the year award by a Lark since Kyle Day in 2006 and yielded the third straight summer that Michalek yielded improved numbers.